Well, let us take a step backward a few hours before this picture.....

back to evening "close up" time,

when all the farm animals are snuggly tucked in for the night.

I was down at the barn giving the horses their nightly feeding of hay,
when my nose was accosted by a putrid, acrid, horrifying odor.
I immediately searched for Sam, who I knew had accompanied me to the barn.
Sam was by my side in an instant.... no odor following him.

We hastily returned home....with gator at top speed, trying to outrun the stench.

Oakley, who I was unaware was even outside, greeted us at the door to the house.
Immediately, I understood from where the unGodly odor emanated....

Oakley! it seems had met his match.....
a stand off with Pepe Le Pew....and Oakley had lost!

Those of you who live with dogs in the country,
or even suburbia, live in fear of this moment....
the moment of realization that your dear beloved pet has
been on the receiving end of the foulest scent known to mankind.

Step 4: Acceptance: Ok, now what are all those home remedies
I've read about through the years???
Step 5: Work,work,work...pouring everything in one's pantry
and medicine chest onto said dog in an attempt to remove
what you fear may be un-removable!

Massengil douche.....ok, really? Does anyone have this around? Does anyone even use this stuff anymore? What does this imply about feminine hygiene if it even works on skunk odor?

Peroxide (one quart), baking soda (1/4 cup), detergent (1 tbsp)....ok, this makes you feel as if you are really doing something about the situation. Does it work? Reportedly, yes. I am not sure.

We tried the last concoction...twice....interspersed with baby shampoo bathings.

Still...Oakley smelled a little like he had risen from the underworld.

Lastly, from somewhere in my memory bank,

I remembered a product that I thought might work:

This was perhaps the best remedy yet.

It is a product that we keep on hand for poison ivy exposure.

It was designed and used in the nuclear industry

for the decontamination of skin from nuclear fallout.

We poured it into our hands and began rubbing it into Oakley's coat....

letting it sit for a few moments and then bathing it off.

Low and behold, the stench began to dissipate.

Our old Oakely was starting to emerge from the putrid fog

that had enveloped him.

A few dabs of Listerine to the areas that had faint traces

of skunk smell, and our sweet boy was restored.

I can't emphasize enough how good this product is.

If you have pets,

or if you live in the country,

your medicine chest should always be equipped with

Tecnu!!

I can attest to the fact that it does a great job in removing

the oils of poison ivy. And I really think it did the most good

in dealing with the skunk spray.

(There are other products on the market specifically made to remove

the odor of skunk spray....but we had none of these in the house.)

It would not be fair if I didn't give just a little space in this blog
to the lowly skunk...harmless with the exception of his one
defense that strikes terror in the hearts of all who encounter him.
The skunk sprays a harsh chemical from his anal glands that has
components known as "thiols" in it. These thiols are the cause
of skunk spray's harsh, acrid odor. Besides the obvious odor,
these chemicals also cause burning of the eyes and nostrils.
There is only one animal considered to be a predator of the skunk...
and that is the Great Horned Owl,
with his poor to non-existent sense of smell.
(Lucky owl!)

I thought I would share another view of the farm with you.
I took this picture from above our upper horse pastures.
There are 4 equal sized pastures in front of me and the barn in the
distance. These fields provide adequate summer grazing for the horses.
We have the ability to connect any of the fields to each other
with gates that swing out across these pathways between....
giving the horses access to 1, 2, 3 or all 4 fields at one time.

Fields #1 and #2 are directly behind #3 and #4.

As I stand here taking this picture,

our 100 acres of woodlands and our riding arena are

located behind me.

To my left are the goats, chickens,

my sister-in-law Becky's log home

and yet more woods...

through them lies our log farmhouse.

This wooded area is located next to our barn,
and was extremely hard hit by the last ice storm
and several wind storms that followed.
We will never have to cut down a single tree to heat our house.
There are enough that have fallen to last our lifetime
and that of our kids.

In closing, I must say:
I believe that Punxatawney Phil may have lied.
There seems to be a bit more winter left for us to face this year.
Guess I will hunker down, sew, and bake more cookies!
The late winter clean up will have to wait.

and just a fleeting thought that one might be devoured in the process!

At the present time, we have many roosters.

And, amazingly, we have no problems with any of the roosters.

Now, I don't think that I am a rooster expert by any means,

but I have developed A Practical Guide to Roosters for those of you

who might be considering adding one of these handsome tyrants to your flock.

Here are a few highlights from my forthcoming guide...

A Practical Guide to Roosters

(Remember...you only need a rooster if you want fertile eggs.)

Be advised.... roosters live for one thing and one thing only... procreation. So, don't get in the way when a rooster is doing what he does best.

Keep a high hen to rooster ratio (See number 1) or your few hens will be very stressed. I have found that 20 (or more) to 1 works well.

Don't be under the false assumption that you can bribe a rooster with food. Roosters are only interested in one thing (See number 1).

Never look a rooster in the eye. This will be perceived as an act of aggression and he may challenge you to a duel. You will lose.

Never make chicken noises in the presence of a rooster. For all you know, a little "cock-a-doo" or "doodle-do" from your lips could mean an invitation to duel. Dueling with a rooster is not something you want to try. You will lose.

When walking toward a rooster, do not step aside, but maintain your course, and keep your eyes down. Again, you would not want innocent actions to be misconstrued as a challenge. You will lose.

Do not wear a red hat in the presence of a rooster.... he may decide that you, too, are a rooster and challenge you to a duel. I repeat....you will lose.

Never chase a rooster. (See numbers 4 thru 7.)

If you have multiple roosters and not enough hens for a good ratio, sequester these roosters far from the hens. Males can live together quite congenially if there are no females around. (It is true for every species that males will go to war to compete for the favors of a female.) By themselves, males will spend the day happily snacking, loafing, chest-butting, and comparing "big fish" stories.

I will definitely work on a video tour of our home to share with you....

that is, as soon as I finish my spring housecleaning

(I did windows yesterday!!).

I am also planning an outside tour of the grounds,

gardens, barn, critters, etc....

but that can wait until the earth greens up a bit!

***********************

Now, about those bumps (see title).

Myrtle, Sissy, and O'Malley are our pregnant does,

and they are beginning to show their baby bumps.

Especially Myrtle, who looks as though she is expecting

triplets!

(That's what she had last spring.)

Myrtle is just the best breeding doe. She has easy pregnancy,
good births, and is a great Mama.
Myrtle is due mid-March.

Her 2 year old daughter Sissy is pregnant, too.
She is showing more than is evident at this angle,
but Sissy is very curious and refused to stand still for a picture.

Sissy is due at the end of March.

Last, but certainly not least, is O'Malley.
O'Malley walks with a very pregnant waddle,
and is getting quite wide.

If O'Malley were human,
she would spend her entire pregnancy on the couch
with a spoon in a gallon of Hagen Daz!

I just had to show you this picture of Smoochie.
Old Smooch had a little trouble breeding O'Malley
this year...he just couldn't get the job done.
(Don't worry, Skip stepped in and pinch hit for him.)
Looking at this picture makes me think that perhaps
Smoochie is all show!!
He certainly knows how to strike a pose.

Well, he has one more chance to perform.
If he fails again......castration!

With the warmer temperatures we are having this week,
we have been trying to take walks with Tyler and the dogs.
We start out like this....

(Old Hickory, our 15 year old rescue scampering along.)

(Tyler in stroller, bink in mouth.)

And we end up like this....

(Hickory in stroller, too...an old girl can only walk so far!)******************
Well, I can hardly wait for kidding season...
to be able to share all of the adorable
little ones with you...
their soft, cuddly, sweet loviness
and
their hysterical antics as they grow.

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Welcome to Bee Haven Acres! This 200+ year old log house is the landmark that distinguishes our farm as you drive down the road. It was inhabited until the mid 1960's. We have had some rennovation done to it in the past few years. No one inhabits it any longer. Its basement is a springhouse that at one time served as drinking water for its occupants. There is always plenty happening at Bee Haven Acres....come see!

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Bee Haven Acres

We are a small family owned and operated farm located in beautiful Central Pennsylvania, midway between Harrisburg and State College. We practice organic farming and strive to live harmoniously with nature. We lovingly grow our own produce, blueberries, apples, honey, gourmet eggs and adorable goats. We consume much of what we produce but also allocate a bit each year to share with others. We often have surplus honey, eggs and produce for sale. We hope to be able to market some of our farm fresh products from this site in the near future. Please visit with us often.....we have many stories to share with you!